Detroit drug dealer ‘White Boy Rick’ once again aiming to have life sentence reduced

‘White Boy Rick’ the Detroit-area drug dealer who has already served 28-years in prison for offenses, he was charged with as a teen is launching another court effort aimed at getting his sentence reduced.

A lawyer for 47-year-old Richard Wershe, better known by his nickname ‘White Boy Rick asked the U.S. District Court in a court filing to overturn a state court order and grant his client’s case an immediate resentencing hearing, The Detroit News reported.

Wershe was just 17, when he was handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole for possession to deliver more than 650 grams of a controlled substance, which a court later amended to include the possibility of parole.

‘White Boy Rick’ has had sporadic opportunities for parole. However, so far, the Michigan state parole board has so far refused to release him on multiple occasions.

According to the court filing, Wersche’s life sentence with no parole is a violation of the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment and also breaches Michigan’s constitution.

The petition states parole proceedings never considered Wershe’s “youthfulness at the time of his offense or his demonstrated rehabilitation, growth, and maturity,” while behind bars.

Lawyers for ‘White Boy Rick’ argue their client would have received a 1 to 3-year sentence under the new sentencing guidelines.

Wershe was 14-years old when he began dealing and trafficking drugs on Detroit’s east side.

Attorneys maintain he was also working as an informant for federal authorities and the Detroit Police Dept.